Wireless terminals in a wireless communications system supporting uplink traffic, e.g., uplink user data, from the wireless terminals to the base stations need to use uplink air link resources to both communicate control information and user data. In multiple access wireless communications systems, typically, multiple wireless terminals using a base station attachment point are competing for valuable uplink air link resources, e.g., uplink traffic channel air link resources. One approach to partitioning uplink traffic channel resources is for the wireless terminals to send resource requests to their current base station attachment point, and for the base station to consider the competing requests and allocate the resources, e.g., uplink traffic channel segments, in accordance with its scheduling rules.
Individual wireless terminals have different needs for uplink traffic channel resources at different times, e.g., depending on a variety of factors such as the type(s) of user data to be communicated, e.g., voice, image data, Web browser information, data files, etc., latency requirements, predetermined data groupings, and/or priority levels.
A single fixed interpretation uplink traffic channel request report format used for a particular type of uplink request report, understood by the base station and the wireless terminals, and used uniformly in the system, although simple to implement, is not well suited to efficiently communicate a wide range of uplink traffic channel request information. By increasing the bit size of the fixed interpretation information report to a relatively large number, the range of reporting possibilities increases, but this is achieved at the expense of valuable air link resources which could have otherwise been devoted to user traffic.
Based on the above discussion, it should be appreciated that there is a need for methods and apparatus for reporting information in an efficient manner. It would be desirable if at least some efficient reporting methods could be devised. It would also be desirable if at least some methods could be used to implement an uplink traffic channel resource request structure which is accommodating to a wide range of wireless terminal operating conditions, types of wireless terminals and/or blend of applications. It should also be appreciated that for some systems there is a need for at least some methods and apparatus which can efficiently communicate the varying needs of individual wireless terminals for uplink traffic channel resources. Methods and apparatus which achieve reporting diversity while accommodating small information report size, e.g., of 3 or 4 bits, would be beneficial. Methods and apparatus which support the maintenance of multiple uplink traffic channel request groups and/or communication of multiple uplink traffic channel request group backlog information would also be beneficial. Methods and apparatus which support the maintenance of multiple uplink traffic channel request groups and/or communication of multiple uplink traffic channel request group backlog information would also be desirable in order to enable quality of service support.